Amid an eloquent and appreciative opening statement, Curtin weighed in on a number of topics that had recently fallen under his purview — from fans to assistant coaches to management. When it came time to address the Union’s personnel strengths, he hit the high points along an old baseball manager’s strong-up-the-middle motif. He started with Conor Casey, Vincent Nogueira, Maurice Edu … then moved on to another topic.

Nowhere in that discussion was mention of the Union’s defense, home of some of the club’s longest-tenured players, the area of the pitch that was supposed to be the fulcrum in this campaign of change on which a revamped midfield pivoted.

Whether the omission was intentional or purposeful is open to interpretation. But Curtin, a former MLS all-star defender whose career spanned nearly a decade, later in the press conference removed the mystery surrounding the appraisal of the team’s defense through the season’s first 16 games.

Advertisement

“So far this year, we’ve come up a little bit short on the defensive side,” Curtin said. “To give up the amount of goals we have at home is unacceptable. To give up three goals and five goals, can’t happen.

“No one’s harder on themselves than the players in this locker room. They don’t enjoy what’s going on. They’re going to be disappointed with everything, with (John Hackworth) leaving and all that. But the message is that we have to get stuff right in front of goal, on attacking restarts, defending restarts, we need to improve drastically on that.”

In a media address where Curtin harped on accountability as an ideological cornerstone for his reign over the Union, the defense’s lack of execution is most firmly the crosshairs of the new manager.

The Union’s defense has clearly failed to meet expectations, perhaps more so than any other personnel grouping. After keeping 12 clean sheets last season, the Union are only on pace for six this year, having shut out opponents just three times in 16 games. They’ve allowed 27 goals, including an inexcusable 12 in seven home matches that have netted a solitary victory, and sit with a minus-5 goal differential overall.

By Curtin’s litmus test that the elite teams in MLS are those capable of grinding out 1-0 wins, something the Union has done but once this season, the Union have roundly failed defensively.

Where Hackworth last year deployed a largely unchanging back four, this season’s unit has been beset by injuries, first to Sheanon Williams in the preseason and then to a “domino effect” of maladies for the normally resilient Austin Berry. The conversion of Aaron Wheeler to center back offered brief glimmers of promise before being abandoned. And no one in the organization has found a consistent, proven replacement for the omnipresence offered by Jeff Parke in 2013.

Part of Curtin’s approach is constancy: He stated outright Thursday that he would prefer to, “pick a four and go with them,” stomaching the short-term vacillations in form to allow long-term growth and chemistry development.

But he was equally blunt in acknowledging that, “no one has really completely grabbed (a starting role) and made it theirs, either.” Williams falls squarely into the category of underperforming veterans, as does Amobi Okugo. Ray Gaddis has been good at right back, but that was Williams’ role last year and continues to be his natural position. Fabinho, the only left-footer of the bunch, has been a mixed bag at left back and is a liability among the league leaders in yellow cards.

Then there’s the question that could be the lynchpin to Curtin’s understanding of his team: Where does Okugo belong? Drafted for his potential as a box-to-box, central midfielder in the mold of Edu, Okugo excelled last season in the center of defense when paired with the steady Parke. But he’s been unable to replicate that form since Parke has departed, failing to cultivate chemistry with either Wheeler, Berry or Williams.

Hackworth, who’d long resisted the popular call from fans and the prevailing logic to implement Okugo in midfield, was forced by injuries and international-duty defections to employ the Union original in the middle of the pitch several times this season, including for a stirring turn of work in the upset win over Sporting Kansas City.

That same option is now being put to his replacement: Whether to confine his passing prowess to defense while emphasizing his ball-winning ability, or allowing him to more fairly balance the two halves of his game in the engine room of midfield.

If Curtin is leaning one way or the other, he wasn’t letting on Thursday with a cards-close-to-the-vest approach. But wherever Curtin deems Okugo should land, the imperative on the interim manager will be to get the most out of a player who is undeniably one of the club’s most talented.

“He has the tools to do both,” Curtin said. “We’re going to sit down with him and I’ll have a meeting with him and we’ll get to the bottom of where he thinks is the best spot and we’ll talk to Mike (Sorber) and Chris (Albright), and we’ll come to a decision as to what we think is the best spot.

“I’ve had conversations with Amobi where I think he should be, talent-wise, a best XI player in this league. I think he’s that good.”

Good enough, perhaps, to be the bellwether for his teammates’ chances of turning around the 2014 season.